Renaissance Wolf
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
Wolf Lahti's LiveJournal:
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| Friday, July 3rd, 2009 | | 1:45 pm |
Only a Republican
Sarah Palin is resigning as governor because of ethics violations*... but she intends to run for president in 2012? I wish--I really wish--that this surprised me. * Not the reason she gives, but come on, people! | | Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 | | 9:11 am |
Miro query
Anybody use Miro to download anything? I've been trying to download a 180-meg file from the Miro site, and after sucking up a couple megs at an acceptable 9KB/second, it dropped to a crawl - 200 *bytes* per second or slower. Finally, after many many hours (most of the day), it stopped completely, with another 20 megs to go. Nothing could induce it do do anything further, so I deleted the file from Miro's "Incomplete Downloads" folder (that this exists at all I take as an ominous sign) and started again, hoping a reboot would make a difference. Nope. It's currently chugging away, jumping up to 12KB/sec at times but most of the time dragging by at sub-1KB/sec. I've checked the Activity Monitor, and nothing else is on the network or CPU to clog things up. This is just ridiculous. | | Thursday, June 18th, 2009 | | 7:34 am |
| | Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 | | 8:54 pm |
Befuddled Nelf on Blood Myst
I'm running a Night Elf druid currently trying to complete all the quests on Blood Myst Isle, and I've run out of exclamation points. No one is offering any quests anywhere on the islands, and I know there are more to do, such as the taking on a disguise to talk with the Sunhawk prisoner - and the whole vector-coil thing has yet to be approached, much less resolved. Can I not participate in an more quests because I am not Draenaei? That doesn't seem likely, but I can't think of anything else that might be going on. | | 12:02 pm |
Bang bang
<dream>As part of agent training, three targets were set up in niches in the wall of an Incan/Mayan ruin. Each of the shooters took careful aim with the big, black assault rifle and fired, hitting each of the targets. Then Jack Bauer (of 24) stepped up, and I’m thinking, “Wait a minute, it would be completely unrealistic for him to be a better shot than any of the others. Is he supposed to be some kind of superman?” But then instead of taking the carefully calculated aim that the other trainees did, he started firing rapidly, aiming in a general way at each of the three targets in rapid and random succession. He explained to the female instructor, “If you have three targets who are going to be shooting back at you, you don’t have time to be precise. You want them running for cover.”</dream> That’s Bauer, all right—not elegant but practical, and precise in his analysis. | | Friday, June 12th, 2009 | | 3:06 pm |
Whither hibachi?
Since the beginning of recorded history and up until a couple years ago, one could find hibachis everywhere - not only in the 'seasonal' sections of department stores but in every sports, hardware, and grocery store. Now I can't find one anywhere. Lots of places carry tabletop grills (and RiteAid offers a flimsy painted-steel thing they call a hibachi but which to my mind does not qualify), but no one carries the requisite funky cast-iron cookstove of my dreams. | | Friday, June 5th, 2009 | | 10:11 pm |
Defiance: a review
I went into this with one question at the forefront of my thoughts: Can Daniel Craig play anyone other than James Bond? (He wasn't given enough screen time in The Golden Compass to make a judgement in that regard.) Even though this movie was similar in some superficial ways to the Bond action flicks, the answer is decidedly 'Yes, he can'. Tuvia Bielski is a far more complex character than the famous superspy, and Craig portrays him with understated command. Under Edward Zwick's capable direction, Craig and every other actor gave convincing, seamless performances. (Zwick also co-wrote the screenplay, which is based on a true story. His directing credits include Glory, The Last Samurai, and Blood Diamond.) It is a violent movie, but it in no way glorifies violence. The fundamental question it addresses is whether one can fight monstrosity without becoming monstrous oneself. It is about community, whether that community is the brothers of a massacred family, a relationship of two persons, or a race. It feels in many ways like Schindler's List, and its theme is similar. Directing was done with a light but confident touch in virtually every scene. I noticed a number of moments that would have turned maudlin had the camera lingered for one second longer. Pacing, photography, acting, casting - none of these can be faulted in any way. How historically accurate it may actually be, the movie felt authentic. I've seen other reviews that say the movie treated its people and their situation too simplistically, but I found the Bielski brothers to be complex, engaging characters, making for a maybe not great but Good to Very Good movie. | | Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 | | 12:11 am |
Up: a review
It's a good movie. It doesn't measure up to Monsters Incorporated, The Incredibles, or Bolt, but it's well worth seeing. The story was somewhat predictable, and there were two moments that strained my suspension of disbelief beyond the breaking point, but they are quibbly things, and Dug alone is worth the price of admission - a doggie dog indeed. Though it's not one of Pixar's best, it is far and away better than anything else now in the theaters. There's a lot more to Up than the previews led me to believe, especially in the early scenes. It's a tug-at-your-heartstrings pic with plenty of action and good (if not deep) characters--with the exception of the main character. The role of Carl Fredricksen is multi-layered and demanded a top-notch voice actor, and the casting director's choice was perfection in that respect. I'm not sure how well it will stand up to repeated viewing, so I'm not sure whether I'll be getting it on DVD, but I had a good time watching it. Did not see it in 3-D. Don't care to. | | Tuesday, May 26th, 2009 | | 9:15 pm |
chirp chirp
It is popular right now to criticize Twitter. Some of the criticisms I've heard are valid; some seem little more than baseless opinion. But whether Twitter has value, it still seems ridiculous to me (my baseless opinion, perhaps?) to post one's tweets to a blog, such as LiveJournal. If I wanted to follow people's tweets, I would do so using Twitter. For myself, I don't see what Twitter offers that can't be done in a more fully-functional venue, such as a regular blog. Why limit yourself to be able to say almost nothing? | | Sunday, May 24th, 2009 | | 9:59 am |
Dealing with large, cute vermin
Deer are little more than tall rats with pretty tails, so don't be going all Bambi on me. I love seeing them in the wild, but they come near my garden, they are asking to die--and I will happily oblige. There are tons of stories about what works to repel deer and tons of stories telling about how the self-same things do not work. The funny thing is, they're all true. Deer are cautious, suspicious critters and will avoid anything unusual or new. This is why predator urine, blood (or blood meal), soap, human hair, tin hanging from branches, and scarecrows all work for a while. Then the deer get used to it (having watched from a distance for some time) and then ignore what they not no longer perceive as a potential threat. I've seen them walk within a few feet of timed carbide guns, completely ignoring the loud reports that made them flee into the next county a week or so earlier. I've also seen them walk right past fences that contained snarling, viciously barking dogs. The key is to change the scare tactics periodically. How often? I dunno. Maybe once a week? | | Monday, May 11th, 2009 | | 4:59 pm |
Star Trek: a review
Despite all the positive comments and reviews I've seen, I went in with low expectations because, frankly, the trailers did not make the movie look appealing. I wish I could say I was proven wrong, but, alas, I must voice what is apparently the dissenting opinion here and say I was disappointed. The movie rated 2-1/2, maybe 3, stars at best. Aside from the many ways canon was butchered (which isn't a big deal to me; I'm not one who subscribes to anyone's gospel as the One Truth), the movie stumbled by being 70% action for action's sake, peppered with big blobs of dead exposition. I hoped only the opening would be as melodramatic as it was, but that fault persisted throughout the entire movie - as well as infecting the soundtrack. Most of the music was overblown and oft times downright silly in its attempts at "instilling Sense of Menace". The science was sometimes as bad as anything in the original series, with plenty of cheap shots using balonium and unobtanium. The director's sense of pacing was pretty much non-existent, there were far too many utterly unbelievable coincidences (Face it - even one is too many), and the plot holes made the featured singularities pale by comparison. (Everything in the movie happens because - in an off-camera expository lump - Spock arrived too late to save Romulus. Why is never addressed. Did he stop along the way to use the restroom?) On the plus side, the special effects were faultless (if excessive), and the acting and casting were top notch - with one exception. The Romulan baddie with the ridiculously derivative name of Nero spoke and behaved like a Brooklyn thug (though he looked more like an extra from Road Warrior). Didn't work for me. In essence, the movie had its moments, but they were few and far between. I am grateful that Chekov was never forced to say "nuclear wessels". | | Thursday, May 7th, 2009 | | 6:14 pm |
I'm surprised Jack Bauer survived Season One
NHTSA data indicate that there is a 33% greater chance of having an accident while driving using a cellphone. That's a *big* percentage when it comes to safety on the road (or anywhere else). More telling, perhaps, is the fact that it doesn't matter whether it is hand-held or hands-free. | | Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 | | 10:34 am |
Review: The Savvy Screenwriter
The Savvy Screenwriter, by Susan Kouguell The title is misleading in that this book only lightly brushes the actual writing of a screenplay. What it does instead, and does very well, is tell you what few other books on screenwriting even attempt: what to do after you've written your screenplay, who to contact (and how) in order to get your work read and produced. The writing style is easy-going and informative, making for a quick read, after which you will feel you've genuinely learnt something. However... A lot of the author’s advice presumes knowledge. For example, she a bit too glibly says, “Track the screenwriters you respect. Find out who represents them, and then query those agents.” First off, how does one find out who wrote what screenplays? Granted, this step is fairly easy, given the Internet. But how do you track them? (What does tracking them really mean, anyway?) How do you find who their agents are? Her answer to all such questions is to read the trade periodicals. (Which who what where huh?) I suspect that ferreting out this information is more difficult than she makes it sound. On the other hand, she makes the job of selling a screenplay sound like a lot of work. She doesn’t promise any quick-and-easy shortcuts, and she makes it clear that this business isn’t for anyone who isn’t naturally aggressive in promoting oneself. As helpful as the book is intended to be, I found it primarily discouraging. | | Thursday, April 30th, 2009 | | 9:31 pm |
Stretching the franchise
Apparently, Abrams was filming the latest Star Trek movie during and in open defiance of the writer's strike. What an ass. Makes me want to boycott the thing. Of course, none of the previews I've seen make it look watchable anyway. | | Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 | | 4:31 pm |
| | Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 | | 9:37 pm |
Cougar, Puma, Mountain Lion, Catamount, Painter....
| You Are a Cougar |  You have more strength than most people, and with it, the ability to inflict a lot of harm.
Your power gives you confidence, and you find leading others to be easy.
You believe that you need to be the best, and you are driven to excel.
Most people immediately admire you, but some people envy your abilities. |
| | 5:14 pm |
Self-censorship
Gmail, run, of course, by Google, has decided somehow that e-mail to me from Google is spam. If this were indeed the case, wouldn't it be more efficient for them not to send it in the first place? | | Monday, April 13th, 2009 | | 2:30 pm |
Used wolf urine
A post in Neil Gaiman's blog inspired me to do a search for "wolf urine" on Amazon. Sure enough, you can get it in 1-gallon containers for only $31.95 ("Great for photographers!" [???]), and it is available both new and used. [?!?!?!] I suppose I should be disturbed that searching for "wolf urine" results in links to vaginal speculums, sexy Girl Scout cookie girl, and Caribbean cooking with Morgan Freeman, but for now I'm only amused. | | Sunday, April 12th, 2009 | | 4:26 pm |
Norwescon and ST: Phoenix: a review
Leaving the house 2 hours late coupled with near-standstill traffic through downtown Seattle resulting in arriving at the hotel 5 minutes before my first panel was to begin. I hit the ground running and got there in time, carried it with aplomb, was appreciated by the audience; then I ran off to my next presentation, which had much the same result, and then had a little less than an hour to haul everything out of the car and up to the room (once I found out where our room was) before my next panel. That was Thursday. It was Friday when things actually got busy, with never as much as an hour between spates of presenting. And of course I'd had about a half hour's sleep Thursday night. :P Supposedly, food was consumed somewhere in there, but I recall that both the Green Room and Hospitality had very little in the way of consumables that were not highly refined carbohydrates. (I was good and managed to keep my ingestion of sucrose to the barest minimum, despite the offerings of four different kinds of sugared donuts.) Saturday was obligation sparse, which of course meant I was bored much of the day. (I again slept very poorly the previous evening, but I never managed to settle anywhere for even a short nap despite the presence of a large block of uncommitted time.) People actually showed up for my reading, so it was nice to have an audience there to listen as I read a couple short pieces and an excerpt from what will probably be at least a novella when I'm done with it. I checked in on a few panels as a member of the audience, but those presentations were rather flat, and I knew most all of what they were talking about already, so I wandered around, finished reading Cherryh's Cloud's Rider, and had a few very interesting conversations with a couple of very interesting people. The Art Show offered a wide variety of skill levels and styles, though I found only one piece there I really coveted. (It went to auction and rapidly out of my range of affordability.) The Dealer's Room had the Same Old Stuff as ever, and I was disappointed that no one carried the Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirls card game (though everyone knew what it was and knew I wasn't actually making it up). I attended what was intended to be the premier showing of the fan-produced movie/series Star Trek: Phoenix but, due to falling being schedule, had to be turned into Star Trek: Phoenix - the Documentary, which was a kind of "making of" thingy, with interviews and excerpts. To put my criticisms in perspective, I will say first of all that, for a fan-produced project, it was impressive, with high production values. The sets and most of the photography were first class. Some of the acting was also top notch - but two of the actors in particular did not come across as characters in the story as much as people trying to sound like actors. Poor casting choices there. The writing was sometimes overwrought, and two (maybe three) of the scenes they showed went on far longer than the story warranted. (Okay, we get the point. We can move on anytime now.) The characters, though reasonably well formed, are all the same people we have met before in the Star Trek universe. Hello? Just because it's Star Trek doesn't mean you can't use someone new. Which segues into my Big Question: A lot of time, effort, and love has gone into this thing. Why, o why, don't they take all this creative energy and do something - gasp - original instead of placing it in a world owned by Paramount--where they are constrained by a history, fannish expectations, and the legal necessity of being unable to make a dime of profit? Yes, I know, it's a fan thing, but it seems to me an enormous waste. (The question comes up in writing panels all the time: "What's the best way to publish a book set in the Star Trek/Battlestar Galactica/Firefly/Powerpuff Girls universe?" and the unvarying answer by those in the know is "Don't". Far better to create and promote something that is uniquely your own.) We were warned that what they showed was not the polished work, so maybe some of the things I've complained about will be fixed (though I don't know what they can do about the bad acting). Still, while no one will mistake it for a Hollywood production, it looks to be a helluva lot better than any other fan-produced project I have seen. | | Thursday, April 9th, 2009 | | 12:41 pm |
Another Norwescon
Just about ready to head out to Norwescon. I don't know quite how I feel about that. At this point, I can take it or leave it. I like being a pro guest and being invited to dispense my worldly wisdom to the masses [ahem], but for the most part, the con is rather boring for me. The panels I sit on are almost always fun, but the rest of the time I usually spend looking for something to keep me entertained. The people I'd like to spend time with always have their own itineraries and chock-full social schedules. Between panels I'm obligated to be on, I'm as likely as not to be found in my room reading or something. Part of this is my perennial pre-con depression. (I usually have a somewhat better time than I expect to.) Part of it is just the way it is. Poor me. So sad. I'll let you know how it went once it's over. |
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